Portugal is an amazing travel destination all year around and one of our favorite European destinations during the Thanksgiving holiday time. You get the holiday festivities with the decorations and even Christmas markets in the city, but the weather isn’t as cold compared to Paris or London. We first went in 2019, mostly in Lisbon, and went back this year to venture out to Porto and the Douro Valley wine region. Here’s a list of all the places we loved to eat and drink in Porto and Douro!
Where to Stay
Quinta da Pacheca in Douro: This was one of my favorite hotels I’ve ever stayed at! It was romantic, had amazing vineyard views, and was such a unique experience to stay inside a wine barrel. It is part of a winery so you get complimentary wine tasting during your stay. It is also ~5minutes taxi ride to the main town where lots of restaurants are located.
Stay in Apartment: We booked the Studio room at this budget friendly hotel with a great location right on the main road in Riveria. Porto is small enough to walk around and be able to visit main attractions and this location was perfect. Did not expect this but had a very cute window that opened up to the alley with a view of the river.
Airbnb with a view in Porto: Another great spot located next to the famous Luis I Bridge in the Riveria district. There were no shortages of restaurants and bars within minutes of this place. This particular place was spacious and had large windows with awesome view.
Where to Drink
I have a separate post for wineries here
Wine Quay Bar: This wine bar is such a gem! Great view of the iconic river and bridge with outdoor and indoor seating. Great selection of wines by the glass and bottle. We ended up getting ~6 different wines by the glass (😂 I know, we were only going to get 2 each) and liked all of them! They also serve tapas/snacks so stop by for sunset drinks and appetizers before dinner
Porto Cruz Rooftop: Rooftop bar with a beautiful view of Porto, Douro river, and the Luís I Bridge on the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the river along with all the port tasting rooms. They also had a DJ when we went mid-day so great stop to relax and have a glass or two.
Churchill’s Lodge: We ended up only doing 2 port tastings in Porto since we spent 2 days in Douro but this was a great add. You will need to walk a bit from the main road but it was worth it. Great selection of white, ruby, tawny, and vintage ports. Loved one of the vintages and ended up purchasing a bottle of it!
Praia dos Ingleses Bar: If you venture ~20minutes west from Porto, you get an amazing coastal town vibe. If you are familiar with California, it felt like I was in Santa Monica/Malibu. We stopped at this bar/restaurant, which is right on the beach. Great view and vibe with drinks!
Pick any spot by the river: Get a bottle of wine or beer, sit by the Douro River or at Morro Garden to enjoy!
Where to Eat
Euskalduna studio: We had 4 dinners in Porto and was so glad we fit this one in! Amazing 10 course (+surprises) tasting menu (€105) with a lovely wine paring. Focused on seafood but the entire menu was innovative (think tuna sashimi with uni foam, grilled eel with beet sauce, and toro with persimmon 🤩) and wine pairing was so on point! One of the white wines was so good, I even saved it on Vivino so I can find it again. Highly recommend if you are trying to save a night for fine dining
Le Monument : We couldn’t decide between Euskalduna and Le Monument so decided to try both. The vibe is totally different here. Located inside one of the top hotels in Porto, they do a quick intro to the kitchen with a small bite and offer 10 or 14 different courses (€85 or €105) with wine pairing. Also focused on seafood and surprise desserts kept coming at the end. They sent us home with a bag of tea we had, which is such a fun gift to remember the night!
Taberna Dos Mercadores: Hidden in a small street behind the main Riveira street, was such a gem. Wanted to try everything on their menu, ended up getting a seafood rice (meant for 2) and grilled lamb chops between the 2 of us. If I had more nights, would have gone back to try other popular items on the menu (like octopus rice and fish). It’s a small place and by 1pm they were completely full so make a reservation or go early
Tapabento S.Bento: Seafood stew is the star menu here but their beef carpaccio was easily one of the bests I’ve had. Duck breast was also good so I’d imagine you really can’t go wrong with any menu here. Also, don’t forget to order a glass or pitcher of SPARKLING SANGRIA!
Curb: I almost feel weird recommending a burger place in Portugal (and I’m from California, love my In-n-out and Shake Shack 😂). But we actually went here twice during our stay, first for a mid-day snack to see if the hype is real and went back for a quick dinner the next day. I didn’t believe the reviews saying that it’s the best burger they’ve had but it was worth the hype. Please don’t pass on their fries!!
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